MONDAY, July 15th 2013 Day 1 Get up at 5 am BACKPACKING ADIRONDACKS HIGH PEAKS REGION with Gabriel,  . From Garden Parking  to Bushnell Leanto # 1 START AT  7h20 am BACKPACKING  time : ~  3h00 WEIGHT OF PALISADE PACSAC :  39 lbs ALTITUDE : ASSENT ~  TOTAL LENGTH   Since we're so early at the Leanto, Gabriel suggests we do the Haystacks today. Excellent call! HAYSTACK (banner pic, view from the top) 33/46 with Gabriel HIKING  start at  11h00 am  to  ~  6h30 pm WEIGHT OF PACSAC : ~ 22 lbs / 3.5 liters of Water, and check out where we can fill up tomorrow. ALTITUDE :x ASSENT  ~ x TOTAL LENGTH   x Wiki : "One of the most famous elements of Haystack is the infamous "Devil's Half Mile". This stretch, which is technically three-quarters mile (1.2 km), is the extremely steep last stretch of the trail." We meet Aspiring HP Queen and Fiddlehead (from ADKHighPeakForums) at the Summit.   top : some of the trail was more climing than hiking.. love it. bottom : The Backpack in is the red line and the hike to and from Haystack is the blue line. BED AT 8h00  at Bushnell Leanto #1 but only fall asleep around 10h30 (my usual time)

WEDNESDAY, July 17th 2013 Day 3 BUSHNELL FALLS  with Gabriel a MUST SEE at least when the weather is beautiful  , We were going to do this on the day we hiked in but put it off to today do do Haystack instead. good call. PACSAC : use only the top of my pack and hook my waterbottle on the side. works very well and is very comfortable. The Bushnell Falls are just across the trail and down from the leanto. The hike out is the red line. HIKE OUT as we came up on July 15th Bushnell Leanto #1 to Garden parcking START AT  10H00 am BACKPACKING  time : ~  3h00 WEIGHT OF PALISADE PACSAC : ~ 36 lbs ALTITUDE : DESSENT~  TOTAL LENGTH   CAR TRIP HOME BED AT xx PM

Visit Manou for supper and later Abli and Lily

FRIDAY,  July 19th 2013   MAINTENANCE : 130 lbs NOON BUNS OF STEEL     ~ GROUP FITNESS with Amélie Martin 49 mins / AveHR  122  73% / MaxHR  157 94%  / 247 cals / 40 % fat / 21  mins InZone (75%+)      BED AT 10h00  PM

SATURDAY,  July 20th 2013 SHOPPING at Granby Futur Shop OLYMPUS TG-2 iHS Specification Highlights 12.0 effective megapixel BSI-CMOS sensor F2.0-4.9, 25-100mm lens (4X) Sensor-shift image stabilization Waterproof to 15m, shockproof from 2.1m, crushproof to 100 kg, freezeproof to -10C 3.0 inch OLED display with 610,000 dot resolution Aperture priority mode Built-in GPS with landmark tagging, compass, manometer, and logging 5 fps continuous shooting 1080/30p movie mode with stereo sound 'Tap Control' for (limited) camera control when wearing gloves Support for fish-eye and telephoto conversion lenses   I like the feel of the buttons and the way the battery/SD card door locks. The aspects I wanted were : waterproof, shock & crushproof, GPS, panorama mode, 25mm,  and the F2.0 and Altimeter were a pleasant surprise! note July 23rd.. I end up loosing  the front ring that is taken off to add conversion lenses right near the end of my first bkpk trip with my new camera. Luckily there comes an extra one with the camera. 9h30 PM  JOGGING FROM HOME — stop at 30 mins and walk home 30 mins  / AveHR  134  80% / MaxHR  151  90%  / 189 cals / 35 % fat / 25 mins InZone (75%+)  Cool after a hot day, need to get out and jogg but go easy because of backpacking nes few days. pass by campfires and fireworks!..   BED AT 10h30 PM With a Sominex to make sure that my jogging doesn't keep me awake. Sleep like a baby :)

SUNDAY, July 21st 2013   CAR TRIP to Adirondack Park, NY  departure : 2 PM Google maps says : 198 Km, 2h43 minutes Supper à Friendly's BED AT 9h30 PM at TMax-n-Topo's Jackrabit Hostel 5046 Cascade Road (Route 73) Lake Placid 518-523-0123 http://tmax-n-topo.com/ "The McIntyres Bunk room #2"

MONDAY, July 22nd 2013 Day 1 Get up at 5 am BACKPACKING ADIRONDACKS HIGH PEAKS REGION with Gabriel,  . From ADK Lodge  to Feldspar Leanto ORANGE on the map START AT  7h00 am BACKPACKING  time : ~  4h10 WEIGHT OF PALISADE PACSAC :  42 lbs ALTITUDE : ASSENT ~  TOTAL LENGTH   See picture of floating bridge on July 23 rd.. ACHES & PAINS : my pack is Too heavy and my hip strap is mal ajusted, I actually develop 2 kysts! one on each side of my lower back, My right side is worse..   SKYLIGHT & GRAY = 37/46 BLUE on the map with Gabriel HIKING  start at  11h45 am  to  ~  5h30 pm WEIGHT OF PACSAC : ~ 19 lbs / lots of water available all along ALTITUDE :x ASSENT  ~ x TOTAL LENGTH   x We m  of BED AT 8h00  at b

TUESDAY, July 23rd 2013 Day 2 HIKE OUT as we came START AT  10H00 am BACKPACKING  time : ~  5h00 WEIGHT OF PALISADE PACSAC : ~ 36 lbs ALTITUDE : DESSENT~  TOTAL LENGTH   NOTE TO SELF : Bear Kegs are NOT rainproof! ACHES & PAINS : Gaby took the tent poles in his pack and I carry less water, but my kysts really hurt until about an hour and a half before the end of the trail ( Avalanche Pass) when I finally take the time to re-adjust my hip belt, but only manage to make it better, not perfect. At the end of the hike I manage to put it à the settings 4-4 that I would have needed all the time.. Hiking in yesterday the Floating bridge was "OK", but on the way back today, with 12 hours of rain and higher water level.. ouch.. definitely out of our comfort zone, my reaction was " I'm scared, this is not what I signed up for" but I made it through, and gained more experience. CAR TRIP HOME  BED AT 10h30 PM

At Manou's with the girls, wonderful day :)

MONDAY, July 29th 2013  at work for a week SHOPPING / SAIL-Beloeil regular 99,99$ on sale for 59,99$ KEEN Women's Clearwater CNX Sandal This is exactly what I've been looking/waiting for. Lightweigh non-slippery, with toe protection. As spare shoes for backpacking/rivercrossings. I used to bring Croc s but never felt safe with them except maybe walking around IN a Leanto.. not much help! The KEEN Women's Clearwater CNX sandal provides you with enough support for long lasting comfort and extreme traction to wear causally or when you hit the trails. This lightweight shoe features a metatarsal ridge, giving your underfoot added support, while the proprietary lightweight PU midsole gives your foot added cushioning. Razor siping outsole traction tightly grips the ground, providing off the charts traction and stability you need. Weight: 7.6 oz/214 g Modèle: Bungee Styles, Sandale Lace-up: Ce style taille correctement (ni trop grand, ni trop petit). Inners: AEGIS microbe shield treated hydrophobic mesh Top: Washable polyester webbing Sole: Non-marking rubber outsole with razor siping 4h37 PM BUNS OF STEEL ~ GROUP FITNESS  with Amélie Martin 63 mins /  AveHR  117  70% / MaxHR  189  113?%  / 295 cals / 45 % fat / 23 mins InZone  (75%+)    5h386 PM CARDIO MILITAIRE ~ GROUP FITNESS with Amélie Martin  39++ mins /  AveHR  117  70% / MaxHR  154  92%  / 180 cals / 50 % fat / 13++ mins InZone  (75%+)  Stop my HR monitor my error . but we do do alot of abs at the end, so it's sort of representative. . BED AT 10h30 PM

SATURDAY, August 3rd 2013  PLANNING .. leaving tomorrow morning. Sunday A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 9am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Sunday Night A 30 percent chance of showers before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. West wind 3 to 6 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Calm wind. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Light south wind. Wednesday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. South wind 5 to 14 mph. 8h30 PM P90X  ~ HOME FITNESS with Tony Horton — # 07 Stretching 30 mins just half of the program but it feels good. BED AT 10h30  PM Car is packed, alarm set for 5 am..

SUNDAY, August 4th 2013   CAR TRIP to Upper Works near Newcomb in the Adirondack Park, NY  departure : 5h30 AM Google maps says : 268 km, 3 heures 27 min, I-87 S, plus we stop for Breakfast at Friendly's Day 1 BACKPACKING ADIRONDACKS HIGH PEAKS REGION near Newcomb,NY with Gabriel,  . From UPPER WORKS  to Beaver Point Leanto, on Lake Colden RED LINE START AT   am BACKPACKING  time : ~ WEIGHT OF PALISADE PACSAC : 38  lbs / Water: 1,5 liters ALTITUDE : ASSENT ~  TOTAL LENGTH       Extra walk on the Flowed Lands for about 1h30 mins. I cross the river almost at the end  but can't find a clear herd trail, so we turn all the way back. With my feet so wet, I have to admit that I'm cold. I don't know why I didn't take the time to change into my water sandals. BED AT 9h30 PM

MONDAY, August 5th 2013 Day 2 CLIFF & REDFIELD    38 & 39 /46 BLUE LINES with Gabriel HIKING  start at   AM to  ~  0 pm  WEIGHT OF PACSAC :~ 22 lbs ALTITUDE :x ASSENT  ~ x TOTAL LENGTH   x Go   I wanted to hike in shorts.. but the early morning was too cool, so I wore over them, for the first time, my new hiking skirt that I made for the bottom section my Gabriel's hiking Pants .. you know.. the kind that has a zipper to make shorts, and the top always gets worn-out long before the bottoms parts. I really loved my skirt, and it was so easy to take it off when the weather warmed up enough to be in shorts.   BED AT xx PM

TUESDAY, August 6th 2013 Day 3 MARSHALL 40/46 YELLOW LINE with Gabriel HIKING  start at  WEIGHT OF PACSAC :~ 22 lbs Start ALTITUDE :x ASSENT  ~ x TOTAL LENGTH   x As I posted on the adkhighpeaks forum :  There is a place where we missed a brook crossing, and the herd path on the left side was very clear.. until at a big boulder, where it completely disappeard, as we were coming down to find another route we met an Assistant Ranger who had also taken the same path as us. We went up to the boulder again and she confirmed that there was no more trail there so we came down again.. we heard voices on the other side of the brook, talked to the guys comming down from Marshall, so we crossed the brook to the right (and "right" ) side and the rest was easy. Later coming down, we saw where we had gone wrong, and saw 2 cairns at the crossing where the bad herd path continues on the left side. The cairn leading to the right side of the brook was really small, so we re-did it with much larger rocks, we also put a big branch and some smaller ones across the herd trail on the left side. I'm not used to writing trip reports, I hope this is clear enough.. our mistake was mostly that we'd read so much the the herd path was easy and clear, that we followed the bad one too quickly.     With Assistant Ranger Lesley near the top of Marshall   BED AT xx PM

WEDNESDAY, August 7th 2013 Day 4 HIKE OUT as we came RED LINE START AT  am BACKPACKING  time : ~ WEIGHT OF PALISADE PACSAC : ~ s ALTITUDE : DESSENT~  TOTAL LENGTH   NOTE TO SELF : Sometimes we are not lost, sometimes we are exactly where we're supposed to be.   Now THIS is surely the original ADK chair!   ACHES & PAINS : Larengitis and sinusite CAR TRIP HOME  BED AT 10h30 PM

Manou & the girls come for the day, nice to have them here.

FRIDAY, August 9th 2013  MAINTENANCE : 129 lbs NOON BUNS OF STEEL     ~ GROUP FITNESS with Marie-Claire de Boucherville 50 mins / AveHR  132  79% / MaxHR  160 96 %  / 296 cals / 35 % fat / 35  mins InZone (75%+) Amélie is on vacation.  It's too warm, the air-conditionning is only turned on after 40 mins ! BED AT 10h30  PM